Duck Quest: The Real Adventures
by Ladynero
Summary: Sequel to "Friends Across the Dimensions". WIldwing and Mallory's date goes horribly wrong and Wildwing is captured. Meanwhile a duck appears at the Quest Compund with amnesia.


Okay. The Mighty Ducks and related characters are the property of   
Disney and the other characters are the property of whoever owns   
them. Every series needs a good amnesia story and this is the   
Ducks'. I apologize now for any of the scenes that I mess up that   
come from the TV shows for I am writing them from memory.  
  
Duck Quest: The Real Adventures  
By: Tazura Avey  
  
  
This is to Sarah - it was very appropriate that we met the day   
before Halloween.  
  
  
He appeared next to the cliff and collapsed as his legs folded   
under him. His body armor sizzled when it touched the wet grass.   
Every feather hurt and he tried to focus on his surroundings.  
I have to get away, he thought, pushing himself up with shaky   
arms. He climbed unsteadily to his feet and staggered away from the edge   
of the cliff. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded and panic set in as   
he raised his pucklauncher.  
"You won't take me back to the mining camp!" he snarled, firing   
at the three figures who dodged his pucks. He slapped his free hand to   
the back of his neck and spun around to face the new figure holding a   
gun aimed at him.  
"You won't take me back," he protested as he fell to the ground,   
seconds before unconsciousness claimed him.  
  
Dragaunus growled as he glared to the other Saurians. "How could   
you let him escape?" he roared, clenching his fists.  
The Chameleon rubbed the back of his neck. "Not easily," replied   
the shapeshifter. "He took down a squad of drones and managed to program   
the teleporter to target random locations all over this continent before   
he escaped. He could be anywhere."  
"Find him!" ordered Dragaunus, smoke pouring out of both his nose   
and mouth. "Use every method at your disposal but find that blasted   
duck before he has a chance to rejoin the others!"  
The three Saurians scrambled to obey their leader while a small   
group of drones huddled in a corner, silently hoping Dragaunus wouldn't   
notice them. Almost casually, the powerful warlord raised an arm and a   
tachyon bolt leaped out from his wrist laser to scatter the drones   
across the bridge of the Raptor. Feeling a little better, Dragaunus   
strolled over to the control panel and began searching for the elusive   
duck.  
  
Jonny sighed in relief as the tall duck fell to the ground and   
smiled at Race who slung the tranquilizer gun over his shoulder.  
"Thanks, Race," stated the blond teen, running a hand through his   
hair.  
Jessie knelt next to the duck and reached out a hand to turn him   
over when she stopped. "Jonny, give me your sweater," she requested,   
holding out her hand. Jonny was about to protest but decided not to. He   
quickly shed his black sweater and tossed it to Jessie. She wrapped it   
around her hands before gently turning the duck over onto his back.  
"He might be injured," remarked Hadji. "We should get him inside."  
Jessie shook her head. "We can't move him," she announced. "His   
armor's scalding hot."  
"Jonny, go get your father and a couple of fire blankets," ordered   
Race, kneeling next to the duck. Jonny slipped his sweater back on and   
ran for the house. Suddenly, the duck began muttering and the humans   
leaned forward to listen to the hushed words.  
"What is he saying?" asked Hadji, unable to decipher the strange   
language.  
Before Race could answer, the duck began speaking in English. "You   
took everything, Dragaunus," growled the duck, his voice harsh with anger.   
"My family. My friends. My home. My planet. I will do everything in my   
power to make sure you don't destroy this planet, Saurian scum!" With   
that, he fell silent and the humans exchanged puzzled glances.  
"What do you suppose that was about?" mused Jessie, sitting back   
on her heels.  
"We'll have plenty of time to figure that out later," remarked Race   
as Jonny and Benton arrived with thick blankets in their arms.  
Benton handed Race a pair of gloves. "Help me get his armor off,"   
requested the scientist. Together, the two men quickly removed the strange   
armor and piled it on one blanket, before they wrapped the extra blanket   
around their unconscious guest. Benton, Race, and Hadji carried the duck   
inside the Compound while Jessie and Jonny picked up the blanket   
containing the hot armor and followed the others inside.  
  
With a sigh, Duke stretched out on the couch in the Rec. Room and   
folded his arms across his chest to keep from fidgeting. Grin sat close   
by, meditating, while Nosedive paced around the room. Tanya was in the   
Infirmary, nursing an unconscious Mallory and the four ducks waited   
anxiously for the red head to wake up.  
A few hours earlier, Mallory and Wildwing had left for a night   
out and things had been quiet. Fifteen minutes ago, Drake One's alarm   
had sounded and the four dicks had scrambled to the scene of the Saurians'   
latest attack. When they had arrived, they found the remains of a battle   
and Mallory half buried under rubble, unconscious. Of Wildwing, they   
couldn't find a trace of him and decided the Saurians must have captured   
him.  
The door slid open and both Tanya and Mallory entered. Duke and   
Nosedive stared at them expectantly as the two sat down on the couch.  
"Mal, what happened?" asked Nosedive, his face filled with a mix   
of concern and fear.  
"Wing and I had finished dinner and decided to go for a walk,"   
Mallory reported in a flat voice. "We had gone maybe five blocks when   
the Saurians attacked. We managed to change into our gear when the   
Wraith tossed a fireball at us, forcing us in different directions.   
Siege managed to keep me pinned down, but it looked like Wildwing was   
winning against the Wraith and Chameleon. Suddenly, the building above   
me crumbled and the last thing I saw was the Saurians and Wildwing   
teleport away."  
"Okay," Nosedive said, breaking the silence. "Now what do we do?"  
Mallory looked around at the others. "The first thing we do is form   
a plan to locate the Raptor and free Wildwing," she said, looking at   
Tanya. "Can you use Drake One to locate Wildwing's communit?"  
"I can try," replied the blond duck. "But the communits only have   
a range of one thousand square miles. If he's outside that range, it   
could take days, weeks even, to find him." Despite her protest, Tanya   
had started for Drake One and began typing. The others gathered around   
her and waited for the results.  
After several minutes, a red marker appeared on the screen.   
"According to this, that was Wildwing's position about five minutes ago,"   
Tanya announced. "But then he vanished from the screen a few minutes   
later."  
Duke studied the screen. "So either Dragaunus destroyed his communit   
or he teleported out of range," he remarked. "I'm willing to go with the   
later."  
Nosedive nodded. "But what I can't figure out is why Wing didn't come   
back here," he stated.  
"There has to be a logical explanation," began Tanya. "I mean, he   
could have been injured or didn't have time to program the teleporter for   
Anaheim."  
Mallory frowned at the screen. "Tanya, is it possible that the   
Raptor is still there?" she asked. When Tanya nodded, Mallory turned to   
Duke. "Think you can get into the Raptor and find out what happened to   
Wildwing?"  
"Easy," replied the one-eyed duck with a small smile. "Want me to   
do anything else while I'm there?"  
"If Wing's there, get him out," she instructed. "If he's not there,   
find out what happened to him."  
Tanya handed him two disks. "Here," she stated. "This one is blank   
to record information on and this one's a virus to distract the Saurians."   
Duke nodded and slipped the disks into a pocket on his shoulder. Together   
the five ducks headed for the Aerowing and a few minutes later, the plane   
was streaking through the dark sky.  
Duke glanced over to where Mallory was sitting. She was staring at   
her hands folded in her lap and he crouched down next to her seat. "Are   
you going to be all right?" he asked in a soft voice.  
Startled, she glanced at him before smiling slightly. "I'll be   
fine," she said, her voice flat.  
He shrugged, not convinced. "If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm   
here," stated Duke. "I know what its like to loose someone you care   
about." He patted her hands and went back to his seat as she thought about   
what he said.  
The Aerowing landed in the mountains behind Anaheim and the ducks   
climbed out. Duke studied the landscape with a professional eye before   
glancing back at the others. "We're here," he announced. "Now what?"  
Mallory hefted her puck bazooka onto her shoulder. "We'll keep the   
Saurians hopping while you get into the Raptor," she remarked, a cold   
smile on her face. Duke nodded and watched as the other four moved off a   
distance before shadowing them.  
Suddenly, a group of rocks shimmered and warped into the Raptor,   
before firing on the ducks. The four ducks dodged for cover before   
returning fire, and a door opened up as hunter drones spilled out. Duke   
edged his way past the drones and quietly slipped inside the door before   
it closed. Mallory noticed him entering the ship and silently wished him   
luck before destroying a drone in front of her.  
Stopping inside the door, Duke glanced around to make sure the way   
was clear and silently stole down the corridor. He moved like a living   
shadow down the red metal halls of the Raptor for several minutes before   
slipping into an empty room. Inside was a large computer consul and he   
smiled at the sight of the monitors.  
Jackpot, he thought, moving over to the consul as he pulled out the   
two disks. Duke inserted the blank disk as his fingers flew over the   
keys and he searched for Wildwing. There was nothing in the database that   
revealed where he was so Duke managed to download all the surveillance   
film for the past two hours. As he was waiting for the consul to finish,   
he noticed the Wraith and Dragaunus were talking on the bridge and began   
recording their conversation.  
"This could be useful," he muttered. Once everything was done, he   
slipped the now full disk back into his pocket and replaced it with the   
virus disk. "To Dragaunus, from the Mighty Ducks," he stated, downloading   
the virus into the computer system. As soon as it was in the system, Duke   
grabbed the disk and headed for the exit.  
Mallory was busy fighting drones when a golden streak slashed   
through the one in front of her and the drone fell apart to reveal Duke.   
"Let's move, Sweetheart," he shouted. "Wing ain't here."  
"Ducks, fall back!" she called, her voice audible over the battle.   
Mallory and Duke began making their way to the Aerowing with Grin, Tanya   
and Nosedive. They scrambled aboard the stealth jet and it rose into the   
sky minutes later, heading back for the Pond.  
Once the Aerowing had landed back at the Pond, everyone gathered   
around Drake One and Tanya to see what Duke had retrieved from the Raptor's   
computers. Tanya quickly scanned the disk to make sure it was free of   
viruses before she started accessing the information stored there. As the   
others watched, the blond skimmed through various surveillance videos   
until she spotted Siege, Wraith and Chameleon teleporting out of the   
Raptor. She slowed the video down and they watched as the three Saurians   
appeared back on the Raptor with Wildwing struggling to get away. They   
dragged Wildwing down the hall when he suddenly went limp, and when they   
tried to get a better grip on his arms, Wildwing twisted out of the   
Chameleon and Siege's hands. He checked both of them into the walls   
before activating his ice shield and deflecting the Wraith's fireballs.   
Using his shield, Wildwing slammed the Wraith into the wall and glanced   
up as a squad of drones appeared around the corner. Turning, the masked   
duck sprinted back the way they had come. The Wraith heaved himself to   
his feet and gestured at Wildwing. The duck's head glowed a brief red   
before the sorcerer collapsed. Wildwing spun around and began firing on   
the drones that returned fire. Several bolts hit his body armor and ice   
shield before Wildwing could destroy the last of them. He quickly   
slipped into the teleporter room and fiddled at the controls before   
leaping on the platform, vanishing in the green light just as another   
squad of drones burst into the room.  
"Well, now we know what happened to Wing," Nosedive said in a soft   
voice. Tanya skimmed through the disk until she reached the conversation   
between Dragaunus and the Wraith.  
"My Lord, I have reviewed my battle with that accursed duck,"   
groveled the sorcerer.  
Dragaunus shrugged "What does it matter?" he inquired, carelessly.   
"He still managed to escape."  
"But without his memories," exclaimed the Wraith, triumphantly. A   
stunned silence fell on the Ready Room as the Wraith continued. "After he   
slammed me into the wall, I managed to cast an amnesia spell on him before   
he could escape."  
Dragaunus chuckled and rubbed his hands together. "Wildwing will be   
as helpless as a hatchling without his memories," he gloated. "If we can   
find him before his team mates do, we can gain ourselves an ally." With   
that, the screen faded and the ducks stared at each other with shocked   
looks on their faces.  
"We have to find him before the Saurians do," stated Mallory, her   
eyes hard with determination.  
Nosedive snorted and folded his arms. "I'd like to know how since   
Wing's out of range," he remarked.  
The redhead glared at Nosedive. "How do you find anything in a large   
country?" she snapped. "You let the public know."  
"Even if you do let the world know Wing's missing, how will we know   
which calls are genuine and which ones are people trying to gain   
attention?" inquired Tanya, her mind racing. "We'd have to ask them about   
something no one but the people helping Wildwing will know."  
"How Tanya? He doesn't have his memories," Nosedive reminded her.   
"We can't ask him about a life he doesn't remember."  
"The clearest answer is often hidden within shadows," muttered Grin   
from where he was standing.  
Duke snapped his fingers. "His ring!" he exclaimed. "He only got it   
last month and I don't think he's ever been photographed with it."  
Mallory nodded. "He was wearing it on our date but it was covered by   
his gloves," she replied. "But who's going to write the release and arrange   
the press conference?"  
"I'll do the press release," announced Tanya as Nosedive spoke up.   
"I'll tell Phil." The others nodded before separating to do their chosen   
chores. Mallory glanced around and the room spun. She grabbed a nearby   
chair and held on until the room righted itself again.  
Instantly Duke was at her side. "You need to get some sleep," she   
announced. "You haven't completely recovered from that blow to the head."   
Mallory nodded and allowed the one-eyed duck to escort her back to her   
quarters.   
Once Duke had left, the commando changed out of her body armor and   
slipped under her covers. She picked up the picture frame sitting on the   
nightstand next to her bed and gazed at the picture of her and Wildwing.   
It showed her leaning against him with his arms around her waist and a   
picnic lunch close by. Duke had taken the picture when the Ducks had gone   
on a picnic in the hills only to be called away by Drake One's alarm. With   
a sigh, Mallory replaced the picture on the nightstand before turning out   
her light and sinking into a troubled sleep.  
  
He slowly climbed out of the deep sleep that had claimed him during   
the night and noticed that the aches and pains of the previous night had   
faded to a dull throbbing in the back of his head. Sensing he wasn't   
alone, he remained still and waited as he heard the door open and someone   
else enter the room.  
"How is he, Hadji?" asked a feminine voice filled with concern.  
"He hasn't moved since we put him here last night," replied Hadji.   
There was a sigh and a cold cloth was put on his forehead. "I hope   
he wakes up soon," remarked the female voice.  
"Do not worry, Jessie," soothed Hadji. "We do not know what he had   
been through before he arrived here."   
Suddenly, pain lanced through his head and he cried out, clutching   
his head. There were a couple of startled gasps and he quickly rolled out   
of bed into a battle stance, blinking against the bright sunlight that   
streamed through the windows. Standing close by was a red haired girl   
with green eyes and a dark skinned boy with a strange hat on. Both were   
watching him warily and he glanced around the room. Unfortunately, the   
windows were closed and the only other way out was past the two teens. As   
they stood there, watching each other, the door opened and a white haired   
man walked in. He stopped when he saw the stand off and raised his hands   
in a nonthreatening gesture.  
"Easy. We're not going to hurt you," the man said. "I'm Race Bannon.   
This is my daughter, Jessie, and Hadji Singh."  
"Who are you my friend?" inquired Hadji, his dark eyes curious.  
He searched his mind for a name but found nothing. He stood up and   
backed away as he desperately looked for his memories. "I...don't know,"   
he stuttered, his eyes wide with surprise and fear. "I can't remember   
anything."  
Jessie frowned. "Well, you don't have any head injuries," she   
remarked. "So that can't be the cause."  
Race studied him carefully before turning to Jessie and Hadji.   
"Why don't you two go inform Doc that he's awake," the older man suggested,   
leaning against the wall. Jessie grabbed Hadji's arm and the two of them   
left without a backwards' glance.  
"Now why don't you tell me why you wanted me alone?" he inquired,   
crouching back into a defensive position.  
"Don't worry," soothed Race. "I just want to reassure you that you're   
not going to be harmed while you're here." He gestured towards the closet.   
"You can use some of my clothes since we're about the same size. The shower   
is through that door. I'll leave you to freshen up." Race held out his   
hand and he slowly reached out to grasp it. "Come downstairs when you're   
ready."  
The white haired man left the room and he walked over to a mirror.   
He was greeted with the sight of a golden mask covering his face and   
reached up, gently removing it. The mask shimmered and changed from a   
gold color to hockey white. For some reason, this didn't surprise him. He   
stared at the strange face in the mirror and noticed the brown eyes that   
seemed to be haunted with an unknown pain and the dirty white feathers.  
Turning away from mirror, he stripped out of the grimy dark green   
body suit and slipped off the strange boots with familiar ease. Placing   
them in a neat pile, he entered the bathroom and turned the shower on full   
force. Climbing into the steady stream of water, he sank to the floor and   
cried like a broken hearted hatchling.  
  
Dragaunus pounded on the consul. Nothing seemed to be working   
properly on the Raptor and he was starting to get irritated. "Siege, have   
you discovered what the problem is with these infernal machines yet?"   
snarled the Overlord into the communicator.  
"Yes, my Lord," replied Siege. "The ducks managed to infiltrate the   
Raptor and planted a virus in the system."  
"So those web footed pests probably figured out what happened to   
their beloved leader by now," mused Dragaunus, smiling. "I have an idea.   
Why don't we let THEM find Wildwing and then crush all of them with one   
blow." He began laughing and Siege shrugged, returning to purge their   
system of the virus.  
  
Race came down the stairs with a look of concern on his face and was   
instantly confronted by the three teens. "How is he?" inquired Jessie,   
putting down her pen.  
"Is he going to be down soon?" asked Jonny.  
The older man held up his hands. "Hold it," he commanded. "He's   
freshening up now. Don't ask him a lot of question."  
Just then Benton entered to room. "How is he?" inquired the bearded   
scientist.  
"Not too bad," confessed Race with a shrug. "Considering that he has   
amnesia."  
"Maybe this will help," stated Jessie, holding up a pad of paper   
with writing on it. "I'm keeping track of the odd things he says and   
does. They might be clues to who he really is."  
Race glanced over his daughter's shoulder. "Not bad," he   
congratulated. "But what's this?" He pointed to the word FIGHTER with   
a question mark beside it.  
"When he first woke up, he rolled out of bed and into a fighting   
stance," she explained. "Anyone else would have checked themselves over   
for broken bones or sprains. Plus, there was the fact that his armor was   
hot enough to evaporate the water on the grass last night."  
"You're right, Jessie," remarked Benton. "There were some scorch   
marks on his chest plate that looked like some energy weapon had struck   
it. This also fell out of one of his gloves while I was examining it."   
He held up a ring. It was a simple gold ring with a round sky blue gem   
on top and a strange engraving inside.  
"That engraving almost looks like a name of some kind," muttered   
Jonny, looking at the ring. "Only I've never seen a language like that   
before."  
"Maybe I can help," announced a new voice. The group turned around   
to find the duck standing there. He was wearing a red shirt opened to   
his waist, revealing a muscular chest and the sleeves were rolled up past   
his elbows. The shirt was tucked into a pair of jeans and he once more   
wore his odd boots. The gold mask had been removed to expose a handsome   
face with dark, haunted eyes. At his waist was a cloth bag that bulged   
with curved lines indicating that the strange mask was inside.  
The duck walked over to them, cautiously, and held out his hand.   
Jonny placed the gold ring in the duck's hand and he studied it carefully.   
"Drake Bouvier," he read after a few minutes. "The inscription's almost   
worn off." He held it out but Jonny held up his hand.  
"This is your ring," remarked the teen. "Think Drake Bouvier could   
be your name?"  
The duck shrugged. "It's possible," he admitted. "It seems familiar   
for some reason."  
Jessie smiled. "At least you have a name now," she said, tilting   
her head to one side in a curious manner. The duck nodded thoughtfully   
before Hadji approached him.  
"Come, my friend," he invited. "You must be hungry. What would you   
like to eat?"  
"I don't want to be any trouble..." the duck began, but Benton   
brushed off his apology.  
"Nonsense," announced the scientist. "As far as I'm concerned,   
you're a guest in my house and you are welcome to remain here for as   
long as you like."  
Jonny grinned. "So let's grab something to eat!" he exclaimed. "I'm   
starving!" Together, the group entered the kitchen with laughter trailing   
along behind them.  
  
Mallory stared around at the numerous press agents gathered in the   
conference room. Every newspaper, radio jockey, and news anchor had showed   
up for this press conference and the redhead secretly hoped that they could   
help find Wildwing.  
"You gonna be okay, Mal?" asked Nosedive, softly. She looked up at   
him and noticed the dark smudges under his eyes, proclaiming his lack of   
sleep.  
She nodded, slightly. "I'll feel a lot better once Wildwing's back   
with us," Mallory whispered. Nosedive smiled sympathetically as Duke took   
the podium.  
"Last night, while out on a date, Wildwing Bouvier and Mallory   
McMallard were attacked by the Saurians," began the one-eyed duck. "During   
the battle, Mallory was knocked unconscious and Wildwing was captured.   
Later, we discovered that Wildwing had escaped his captors but as a result   
of his injuries, he has amnesia. We are asking everyone who is a fan to   
help us find our Team Captain and bring him home safely."  
Several members of the press began shouting out questions as a storm   
of flash bulbs went off in their faces. Duke held up his hands for silence   
before pointing to a young woman standing next to a television camera.  
"Mr. L'Orange, just exactly who are the people who attacked Miss   
McMallard and Mr. Bouvier?" she inquired.  
"The attackers were The Wraith, Siege and Chameleon," replied Duke.   
"They follow the orders of their leader, Lord Dragaunus, who basically   
wants to conquer this planet and enslave the populace."  
"How do we know that this isn't some publicity stunt?" called a voice   
from the back of the room.  
Phil glared at the source of the voice. "There's no profit involved,"   
he shouted across the room. "How can it be a publicity stunt with no   
profit?"  
A murmur raced through the room as the Ducks turned and left Phil   
there with the press to answer questions.   
When they reached the Pond, Jellica and Canard were waiting for them   
in the Ready Room. "What happened?" asked Canard, his eyes sweeping over   
the group. "Where's Wildwing?"  
"He was captured by the Saurians," Nosedive replied. He proceeded   
to repeat the story for the two arrivals and when he was finished,   
Jellica's face was thoughtful.  
"Amnesia spells in general are pretty powerful," muttered Jellica   
as she paced the room. "Luckily for us, the Wraith is only at half   
strength* so his spell should start decaying in a few weeks. Sooner if   
Wildwing can remember his name."  
Duke watched the feline as she mulled over the problem. "Is there   
anything you can do?" he asked, softly.  
The Guardian of Dimensional Limbo sighed. "I can't send the   
B.R.A.W.N.s out to look for him, because I need a general area to   
search," she admitted. "Besides, even I they did find Wildwing, I seriously   
doubt he would be willing to go anywhere with them. As for the magic part,   
I'm afraid anything I do would only make the spell stronger, not weaker."   
Her ears drooped slightly. "Wildwing's on his own until either he contacts   
you or you manage to find him."  
A thick silence fell over the group. "Now what do we do?" asked   
Mallory, breaking the silence. "We don't have a Team Captain and shards   
knows what will happen if Dragaunus attacks."  
Canard shook his head. "Sorry guys," he apologized. "I'm baby-sitting   
DeCoy until her trial date in a month. After that, I'll probably be on   
Puckworld for weeks." He looked around at the Ducks. "From what I've heard   
and seen, I think Mallory would be the perfect one to take Wildwing's place   
for now."  
"Is it just me or does this feel like a rerun of that creeper   
incident?" Nosedive asked no one in particular.  
Mallory looked around to find the others watching her. "Well, I   
guess I'm temporary Team Captain," she admitted. Suddenly she snapped   
her fingers. "I just though of something. Once the word gets out, we're   
going to be flooded with calls. Tanya, can you create a sifter program to   
go through all the calls?"  
"Easily," replied Tanya, nodding. "But I'm going to need a   
description of Wildwing's ring."  
"It's a simple gold ring," described Nosedive, "with an ice blue   
jewel embedded in it and 'Drake Bouvier' engraved along the inside of the   
ring in the Ancient Language."   
Just then, the phone began ringing Duke sighed. "Looks like the word   
is out," he remarked as the other lines for the Pond lit up. Tanya wandered   
over to Drake One and began typing as Canard glanced at the clock on his   
communit.   
"I'd better get going," he said. "I don't like leaving DeCoy alone   
any longer than necessary."  
Jellica nodded. "A couple of the younger Saurians are making me   
jumpy," she confessed. "Seems they figure since Dragaunus managed to   
escape, they should follow his example and join their leader."   
With backward waves, the two left the Ducks alone to search for   
their Team Captain.  
  
*See "Price of Freedom" for details   
  
Drake, as he decided to call himself, watched from the rocks as   
Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji played in the water. They had invited him to join   
them, but he had declines, preferring to watch the teens enjoy themselves   
for now. The teens were playing water tag and Jessie had proven to be very   
tricky. She would swim under the water before surfacing behind the boys   
and tagging them. Drake was able to follow their movements due to his   
elevated height and the fact that Jonny and Jessie's hair was quite   
visible.  
After several minutes, Jonny called a time-out. "Why don't we play   
something else," he remarked.  
Jessie grinned. "Tired of being 'It', Jonny?" she inquired, sweetly.  
The blond teen shot her a withering glare and she laughed. "Anybody   
have a suggestion?" Jonny asked.  
"We could hold a breathing contest," suggested Hadji, his dark hair   
floating in the water.  
Jessie and Jonny looked at each other before nodding. "Okay. Whomever   
stays down the longest wins," announced Jonny, grinning. "And no fair   
using your yoga tricks, Hadji."  
The three took deep breaths and sank beneath the surface. After a   
bit, Jessie's head broke through the surface of the water and a few   
seconds later, Hadji joined her.  
Jessie looked around. "Where's Jonny?" she asked, the concern evident   
in her voice.  
"I do not know," replied Hadji. "He usually surfaces the same time we   
do."  
Drake climbed to his feet as his eyes scanned the waves, and he   
quickly spotted Jonny's blond hair. With a running start, Drake dove into   
the water and swam over to Jonny. Jessie and Hadji were floating nearby   
and he motioned for them to keep back as he approached the blond teen.   
Drake discovered a rope, wrapped around the boy's ankle, which prevented   
him from surfacing. Suddenly, Drake's vision wavered and Jonny transformed   
into a teenage duck with long blond hair, trapped by greenweed.  
Hold on, I'm coming, he though, swimming over to the duck. He saw   
the fear in the young duck's eyes and offered a reassuring smile before   
grabbing the greenweed. He began tugging on the water plant, ignoring the   
stinging pain that shot through his hands, and finally, the greenweed   
broke. He wrapped his arm around the duck's limp form and swam for the   
surface.  
"Easy, Bro," he murmured once he reached the surface. "You'll be   
fine." He pulled the younger duck up onto the rocks when his vision   
blurred again. When he could see, Jonny was sitting on the rocks, trying   
to catch his breath.  
"Oh, man," gasped Jonny. "What happened?"  
"A rope was wrapped around your ankle," explained Drake, absently   
wiping his hands together.  
Just then, Jessie, Hadji, Race and Benton ran over to them. "Jonny,   
are you all right?" asked Benton, putting a hand on his son's shoulder.  
Jonny nodded. Thank to Drake," he stated, smiling at the duck. "He   
managed to free me from some rope that had wrapped around my ankle."  
Benton peered at the red mark around Jonny's leg. "That's not a   
rope burn," he muttered, wiping away some of the red mark. "That's rust!"   
He looked up at Drake. "Let me see your hands."  
Drake held out his hands and blinked in surprise when he saw blood   
on them. Benton took one of the towels from Jessie and carefully wiped   
the blood and rust off his hands. Once more, Drake's vision wavered and a   
white haired duck was carefully washing his hands off while the young   
blond duck hovered close by.  
"Just what were you thinking, Nosedive Bouvier?" she demanded as   
she exchanged her towel for bandages. "You know greenweed is deadly for   
swimmers. Be glad your brother was close by to rescue you." She sighed   
and tied off the last bandage before putting a hand to his forehead. She   
bundled him up in a towel and looked around. "Your father's gone to get   
the hovercar and you're going to the hospital before that venom gets too   
far into your system.  
Suddenly, the world spun and Drake sat down, hard, on a boulder.   
Shaking his head, he noticed that he was back on the shore with the   
inhabitants of the Quest Compound.  
"There are some metal splinters in your hands that are going to   
have to come out," announced Benton, standing up. Drake swayed on his   
feet and the group escorted him into the house.  
Race shooed the teens out of the kitchen before glancing out the   
window towards the ocean. "That cable must have been left over from one   
of the various attacks," he remarked.  
Benton pulled out a first-aid kit and motioned for Drake to sit   
down on a stool. "Race, can you go get some dry clothes for Drake?"   
requested Benton, picking up the tweezers. Race nodded and Benton glanced   
up at Drake before starting to remove the metal shards. "What happened to   
you back on the beach?"  
"A memory surfaced," confessed Drake, wincing as Benton removed   
the metal splinters. "When I saw Jonny trapped by the rope, I remembered   
rescuing my brother, Nosedive, from greenweed when we were younger." He   
laughed. "I'm just glad that rope wasn't as poisonous as the greenweed   
or I'd be back in the hospital."  
Benton smiled as he pulled the last of the splinters out of Drake's   
hand and washed off the small amount of blood that had oozed out of the   
cuts. The duck studied the scientist for several minutes, his brown eyes   
serious.  
"What exactly did Mr. Bannon mean by 'one of the various attacks'?"   
inquired Drake as Benton put away the kit.  
"Since you'll probably be with us for a while, I'd better explain,"   
began the bearded scientist. "In my line of work as a scientist, I've made   
some enemies and since it's no secret where I live, many of those enemies   
have chosen to attack my home."  
Drake nodded, understandingly. "That explains the security system,"   
he remarked. Just then, Race entered the kitchen with a change of clothes   
and a towel.   
"Here," announced Race, handing the bundle of cloth to the duck.   
"I'll take those wet clothes and run them through the washer."  
Drake frowned. "Don't you have a 'fresher?" he asked, confused.  
The two men smiled. "Drake, I think it's time I showed you our   
technology," stated Race, slapping a hand on the duck's shoulder as he   
escorted Drake from the room.  
  
Nosedive sighed and glanced at his clock which announced that it   
was two in the morning. He lay back in his bed and tried to figure out   
what had woke him up when he heard someone in the hallway and silently   
groaned. Mallory was awake and pacing the halls again.  
This has got to stop, he decided, closing his eyes. If Phil isn't   
after her for some ridiculous publicity stunt, she's worrying about   
Wildwing.   
Suddenly an idea formed in his head and he grinned. Slapping the   
light next to his bed on, he grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and   
scribbled on it for a few minutes before crawling back in bed. He would   
put his plan into action tomorrow morning and hope it helped Mallory.  
  
With one final wipe, Drake held the chest plate up in the sunlight   
and nodded in satisfaction. He had finally managed to remove the scorch   
marks from his armor and cleaned his green bodysuit. Now, his bodysuit,   
belt and most of his armor were neatly packed into the low box sitting on   
the floor by his feet, and he added the chestplate to the box before   
sliding it under the bed. He had been given the same bedroom he had woke   
up in for the duration of his stay.   
Sighing, Drake stretched out on the bed and watched the gentle   
breeze ruffle the curtains. Floating on the breeze was a song that   
seemed familiar for some reason, and Drake closed his eyes to concentrate   
on the music.  
  
We were strangers starting out on a journey  
Never dreaming what we'd have to go through  
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing  
At the beginning with you.  
No one told me, I was goin' to find you  
Unexpected what you did to my heart  
When I lost hope, You were there to remind me  
This is the start.  
  
He was dancing with a red goddess in his arms and she was laughing   
at something he had said. "Rather appropriate for us, don't you think so,   
Firefly?" he asked as they twirled around the dance floor. She smiled and   
wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned down to kiss her. Suddenly,   
he was standing in a room with four other ducks and an elf as they faced   
off against a huge red dragon.  
"You dare challenge Asteroth, Lord of the Red Dragon, in his lair?"   
roared the dragon, spreading his wings.  
"Team bodycheck!" he barked before racing forward with the others   
with him. As one, they slammed into Asteroth and together they tumbled   
out into the street below.  
He found himself hanging by his ankles above a pool of toxic waste   
and Nosedive was with him. Both had their hands tied behind their backs   
but he had managed to cut through the ropes around his brother's wrists.   
Nosedive quickly climbed up the rope until he was balanced on the top of   
the crane and just then, the lever slipped, releasing the rope.  
"Relax, Bro," Nosedive shouted. "The rope's really short." Just then   
the rope snapped and he went plummeting towards the pool. "And Cheap!"   
Nosedive cried, lunging for the broken end. He bounced to a stop inches   
above the bubbling toxin and felt the rope tremble as Nosedive struggled   
to keep him out of the toxin. The scenery shifted again and he found   
himself fighting two lizard like creatures that sparked an inbred hatred.   
A third one shimmered into view before the trio vanished in a green light   
just as explosions began rocking the building around them.  
"Everyone, out now!" he snapped, racing for the nearest door. Six   
ducks and a feline obeyed his command and he glanced back as the next   
explosion tossed Firefly to the floor. Above her, the ceiling started   
cracking and fear lanced through him. There wasn't time to drag her to   
safety so he did the only thing he could think of. He ran over and threw   
himself on top of her just as tons of metal and concrete crashed down on   
them.  
  
"Firefly!" cried Drake, sitting up with sweat running down his face.   
He looked around to find himself safe in the bedroom and wiped the sweat   
off his face.   
"Are you okay?" asked a voice from the door. Drake looked up to find   
Jonny standing there with a concerned look on his face.  
Drake nodded. "I'll be fine," he said, turning to gaze out the   
window. "Just some memories."  
"Well, I came up to warn you that a friend of Race's is going to be   
visiting tonight," remarked Jonny. "Her name is Vintage Jade and neither   
Race nor Dad want her knowing you're here. Who knows what she'd do with   
that kind of information."  
"She a spy?" inquired Drake, tuning away from the window.  
Jonny smiled. "Spy, thief, fence, burglar. Basically anything that   
involves rare and valuable artifacts or jewels," he reported. "Now you   
know why we'd rather not let her know you're here?"  
Drake smiled. "I'll be careful," he replied. "Is she spending the   
night?"  
"Jade has a hotel room in town," Jonny said. "I'm trying to figure   
out how to get dinner up here to you without her getting suspicious."  
"No problem," announced Jessie, entering the room. She put the back   
of her hand to her forehead and smiled. "I'm not feeling too well. Think   
Dad would mind it if you brought dinner up to my room?" The two teens   
grinned before slapping hands.  
The duck shook his head. "I'm in trouble," he muttered as the teens   
escorted him downstairs.  
  
Nosedive wandered into the Ready Room where Tanya was working on   
Drake One. He had just finished talking with Grin and now needed to get the   
second item to put his plan together. "Hey Tanya," he called. "Got a sec?"  
She looked up and waved him over as she continued to work on the   
supercomputer. "What do you need, Nosedive?" she inquired.  
"I need to visit Jellica for a few minutes," he explained. "I have   
an idea to help Mallory sleep, but I need Jellica's help to pull it off."  
Tanya was silent for a few minutes before she manipulated some   
controls on the dimensional gate generator and a lavender portal   
appeared. He flashed her a grin before leaping into the portal.  
The blond duck seemed to tumble through the chaos for several   
minutes before he landed on a metal platform with a thump. As he picked   
himself up, Canard walked out a door and strolled over to help the younger   
duck to his feet.  
"What are you doing out here, Dive?" inquired Canard, curiously.  
"I need Jellica's help," Nosedive replied as the two entered the   
station. "Mallory hasn't been getting any sleep worrying about Wildwing   
and Phil isn't exactly helping her by pestering her with all these   
stupid publicity stunts."  
Canard nodded and led the younger duck through the cell-lined halls.   
As they passed one particular cell, a beautiful face appeared in the   
barred window and grinned.   
"Hello, Nosedive," purred Lucretia DeCoy. "It's so sweet of you to   
pay me a visit in this dreary place."  
Before Canard could move, Nosedive had his pucklauncher out and   
the barrel was shoved under Lucretia's beak. "Y'know, Lucretia, it would   
be a shame if anything was to happen to that lovely face of yours,"   
growled Nosedive, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. "But don't tempt   
me or you might end up looking worse than Duke." With that said, he turned   
and left a very shaken Lucretia with Canard following close behind.  
A few minutes later, Canard had escorted Nosedive into Jellica's   
office and the feline stood up as the ducks approached. "Hello,   
Nosedive. Any word about your brother yet?" she inquired, leaning up   
against her desk.  
"Afraid not," replied Nosedive. "But I need your help with   
something." Jellica gestured for him to continue and he took a deep   
breath. "Mal's been extremely worried about Wing and she's been having   
trouble sleeping. Problem is, Phil's been pestering her about publicity   
stunts and if Mallory doesn't get any sleep soon, who knows what would   
happen to her if Dragaunus attacked."  
The Guardian of Dimensional Limbo frowned. "So what's your plan?"   
she asked, standing up.  
"Just that I go to talk with Phil and both you and Grin go with me,"   
he remarked casually. Jellica tossed back her head and laughed before   
slipping a dagger into the sheath on her leg.   
"Let's get going then," she invited. "Canard, you're in charge while   
I'm gone." Together, the feline and the blond duck headed back to have a   
meeting with Phil Palmfeather.  
  
Jonny sat down at the table as Race escorted Vintage Jade into the   
room. She was tall with short black hair and twinkling green eyes that   
took in everything. Tonight, she was clad in a pair of comfortable jeans   
and a silk shirt that matched her eyes. On her wrist were two gold bangle   
bracelets and as she sat down at the table, Jade glanced around in   
confusion.  
"Where's Jessie?" she inquired in her throaty voice.   
"She's not feeling too good right now," explained Jonny. Jade   
nodded and Jonny let out a small sigh of relief. It looked like their   
plan was going to work after all.  
Throughout the meal, they talked about various things, but staying   
away from subjects like aliens and Jessie's "illness".  
"So there's going to be this huge scientific convention in Boston   
next week?" inquired Jade, staring across the table at Benton.  
The scientist nodded. "I hope Dr. John Huggarman joins us this time,"   
he remarked. "Ever since he withdrew from society last year, the   
conventions just haven't been the same."  
Race grinned. "Who else could you get to stay up and talk about   
various scientific discoveries with?" he countered. The table erupted   
in laughter and Jade glanced at her watch.  
"I hate to eat and run, but I have a big meeting tomorrow morning,"   
she apologized, standing up.   
"Do you need a ride into town?" inquired Race, standing up as well.  
Jade flashed him a stunning smile. "Thank you, but I have a car   
outside," she said, shaking their hands. "Thank you for the wonderful   
diner. We'll have to get together sometime soon to do this again. Next   
time it's on me."  
"I'll walk you to the door," the white haired man offered, walking   
over to her. Together the two left the room and a few minutes later, Race   
came back with Drake and Jessie behind him.  
"I'm glad Jade fell for that," sighed Jonny, leaning back in his   
chair. Jessie nodded and sat down with her notebook next to her plate.   
She scribbled a few things in it before closing the notebook and placing   
her pen next to it.  
Drake frowned. "Something about her almost seemed familiar,"   
confessed the duck. "Like I have met someone like her before."  
Benton smiled, gently. "I wouldn't worry about it too much," he   
soothed. "Your memories will return eventually." He glanced over at Race   
before picking up his coffee cup. "Next week, Race and I are going to a   
science convention in Boston. I'm going to see if anyone else there has   
either seen you before or one of your race. Maybe if we can find another   
member of your race, they could help you recover your memories."  
Drake blinked and found himself looking through a thick glass wall   
at a lavender haired duck. She was dressed in a pink outfit and was a   
stunning beauty, but there was something cold in her smile. "You pitiful   
saps," she sneered, approaching a metal wheel. "Soon you will be out   
of Lord Dragaunus's way for good."  
"Does this mean our date is off?" inquired Nosedive picking   
himself up from off the floor. The beauty turned the wheel several times   
before pulling it off the gear. Turning, she strolled from the room and   
casually tossed the wheel over her shoulder just as gallons of water   
came crashing into the container, slamming the five ducks into the glass   
side.  
"Drake! Wake up!" cried a voice as someone shook his arm furiously.   
He opened his eyes and glanced around at the humans that were gathered   
around him with concerned looks on their faces.   
'Sorry," apologized Drake, sitting up. "Dr. Quest, I would prefer it   
if you didn't inquire about my race at the convention. I would feel much   
safer if the only people who know I'm here are the ones in this room."  
Benton was silent for a few minutes before nodding. "Agreed," he   
said. "I won't mention anything about you at the convention." Drake   
smiled and he and Jessie ate their dinner before he headed for bed.  
  
Groaning, Mallory eased herself down on the roof and closed her   
eyes as the cool night breeze ruffled her hair. It had been two weeks   
since Wildwing had vanished and they still had no leads. She had also   
spent the past fortnight fighting Phil at every turn.  
Now I know how Wing feels, she thought, leaning back against the   
ventilation shaft. It's a miracle he hasn't collapsed before now. I'm beat   
and it's only been two weeks.  
There was a soft sound beside her and she opened her eyes as   
Nosedive dropped down beside her. For several minutes, neither one said   
anything until Mallory finally spoke, "What do you want, Nosedive?" she   
asked, the irritation evident in her voice.  
"To make sure you're okay, Mal," he confessed, none of his usual   
humor present.  
"I'll be fine," she lied, closing her eyes again.  
Nosedive snorted in disbelief. "The only one you're fooling is   
yourself," he replied. "You're running yourself ragged and not getting   
much sleep isn't helping either. You have to relax."  
"How?" moaned Mallory. "Every time I turn around, Phil has another   
stupid publicity stunt for us. He hasn't let up since Wing vanished."  
"I'll make a deal with ya," stated the blond duck. "If I can get   
Phil to drop all publicity stunts for the next month, will you start   
getting a decent night's sleep? The circles under your eyes make you   
look like a raccoon."  
"Thanks," she said, sarcastically.  
Nosedive met her eyes. "I'm serious, Mallory. If you don't start   
getting some sleep, you're not going to be much help when Dragaunus   
attacks."  
"Okay," she surrendered. "You get Phil to drop his publicity   
stunts and I'll do my best to get some sleep."  
"Here," he stated, holding out a folded piece of paper and a   
small black book. "You get to hang onto these for the next month."  
Mallory unfolded the paper and red the lines. "But how..." she   
gasped in surprise. She opened the book to find Phil's cramped handwriting   
on the pages below certain dates. "Phil wouldn't part with this if   
Dragaunus threatened him."  
"Try Jellica and Grin," explained Nosedive. "They were both with me   
when I went to negotiate with Phil. He was more than happy to sign the   
contract and hand over his book." He stood up and offered her a hand up.  
She laughed and let him help her to her feet. "How did you know I   
would agree to this?" she inquired as they started down.  
Nosedive gave her a sympathetic glance. "Even in the labor camps   
we had more than three hours of sleep," he remarked. "I hear you moving   
in the hallway when you get up."  
Mallory was about to apologize when a huge yawn escaped her beak.   
Nosedive helped her down to the elevator and she flipped through Phil's   
appointment book, shaking her head in disbelief. "I still don't   
understand how it worked," she muttered as the elevator drew to a stop.  
The blond duck shrugged. "It was either Grin's menacing smile or the   
fact Jellica was cleaning her claws with a very lethal looking dagger,"   
he admitted. "I'm not quite sure which." Mallory's laugh ended in another   
yawn. The younger duck escorted her to her quarters where she had just   
enough energy to remove her armor before she sank onto her bed and into   
a welcomed sleep.  
Nosedive smiled as he strolled towards the Rec. Room where he   
found Tanya talking with her friend, Dr. Huggarman. She looked up as   
Nosedive dropped into one of the chairs and smiled.  
"Nosedive, Dr. Huggarman has an idea for how we can locate   
Wildwing," she remarked. "Next week, there's going to be this scientific   
convention in Boston and a Dr. Benton Quest is suppose to attend."  
"Mind telling me how his Dr. Quest can help when the entire   
country is looking for Wing?" requested the teen, folding his arms across   
his chest.  
Tanya shrugged. "Dr. Quest is a paranormal expert," she   
explained. "He's investigated several cases of haunted buildings and is   
rumored to have had numerous contacts with extraterrestrials. Who better   
to find an alien, talking duck?"  
"I was telling Tanya that if she wanted, she could join me,"   
Huggarman interrupted. "If you would be nice enough to fly me out to   
Boston, I'm sure Dr. Quest would enjoy talking to you."  
Grinning, Nosedive studied the two scientists. "Sounds like a plan   
to me, but you'd better talk to Mallory. In the morning," he added when   
he noticed Tanya ready to leap from her chair. "She's finally getting   
some sleep and the last thing she needs right now is for you to start   
pounding on her door."  
Tanya nodded. "In the morning, then," she agreed before resuming   
he conversation with Huggarman. Nosedive scooped up the remote control   
and turned on the television, but his mind wasn't on the show. His   
thoughts swirled around one main idea: they were one step closer to   
locating his brother.  
  
Drake tossed and turned in his bed for several minutes before sitting   
up. For some reason, sleep was eluding him tonight despite the cool   
breeze that trickled in through the open windows. Sighing, he stood up   
and sat down in the chair he had moved over to the window for nights like   
this. Drake gazed out at the stars and smiled as a peaceful feeling   
descended over him. He closed his eyes and grunted as he hit the floor.  
He opened his eyes and scanned the cargo bay for the invisible   
threat. He stood up and swung at the air around him, hoping to hit the   
threat. "You can't win," he gasped.   
Mocking laughter echoed through the bay. "And who's going to stop   
me? Your friend is gone and you're a poor substitute."  
"I'll find Canard," he vowed. "No matter how long it takes."   
Something grabbed him and tossed him into the wall.  
"Deal with it, duck boy!" snarled the voice. "Canard is lost of   
all time in Dimensional Limbo. And the Mask with him."  
He suddenly saw himself desperately trying to keep his friend from   
being sucked out into dimensional limbo, but the only thing that both of   
them were holding onto was a golden mask. "Take it," ordered his friend.   
"You're Team Captain now." With that, he let go of the mask and was pulled   
into dimensional limbo. The Mask! This threat was afraid of the Mask!  
He shoved his hand into the bag at his waist and removed the white   
Mask he had been keeping until they found his friend. With a grim   
determination filling him, he firmly placed the Mask on his face and   
activated the scanner.   
"Wrong, Dinobreath!" he growled before leaping at the now-visible   
red threat. He pulled the small control device out of the terror's had   
and crushed it, forcing the terror to become visible to everyone and he   
launched a kick that threw the terror on the ground. He leaped on top of   
the terror and for several minutes they struggled, neither one getting   
the upper hand.   
Suddenly, the scenery shifted and he found himself slowly walking   
in a line of ducks that were chained together. The line slowly marched   
through the streets of a ruined city and he glared at the occasional red   
robot. A familiar feeling of despair and fear washed over him as one of   
the robots swung its massive head in his direction. He stumbled over an   
unseen rock and the robot raised its arm, a whip dangling from the end.   
With a swift motion, the red machine brought the arm down with the whip   
whistling through the air.  
  
Gasping, Drake sat up with his heart pounding. He stood up and was   
about to switch on the light when the feathers on the back of his neck   
stood up. Something was wrong. He was sure of it. He stood up and was   
about to approach the window when he heard a slight movement from   
downstairs.  
"Looks like some one has decided to pay a little after-hours visit   
on the doctor," muttered Drake, slipping out the door. He crept down the   
stairs and paused at the bottom to listen carefully. Again, he heard a   
slight movement off to his left and followed the sound until he came   
across a dark shadow lifting something off of a shelf in the living room.   
"I don't think that belongs to you," announced the duck in a loud   
voice. The shadow whirled around and dropped the stone he was holding on   
the carpet. With a startled gasp, the shadow started edging towards the   
nearest window and Drake lunged at him, catching his arm. "Not so fast!" he   
growled. The shadow struggled in Drake's grip but was unable to break free   
before Drake grabbed the thief's other arm and lift him off the ground.  
Just then, the light was turned on and Drake glanced over to find   
Race and Jonny standing there, the former with a gun and the later with a   
spear. "What's going on here?" demanded Race with a frown.  
"An uninvited guest though that he would help himself to a few of   
Dr. Quest's artifacts," Drake stated, his dark eyes troubled by an elusive   
memory.  
Race approached the thief and whipped off the mask to expose a   
beautiful woman with short dark hair. "Hello Jade," greeted Race, an   
ironic smile playing on his lips. "If you didn't enjoy dinner, you could   
have said something earlier."  
Jade smiled slightly. "Hello again, Race," she said, managing to   
look dignified despite the fact that Drake held her arms behind her back.   
"Actually, I have a customer that will pay me handsomely for that piece   
of rock there."  
"Sorry, Jade," called Benton from the doorway. "But that 'rock' is   
really an uncut diamond and you know it." He glared at the woman. "Now I   
suggest you get out of Maine before I call the cops on you."  
"Well, could you at least tell me about your strong friend here?"   
inquired the raven haired woman. She glanced over her shoulder and her   
green eyes widened in surprise and recognition. She quickly turned back   
to Race. "Can I talk to you in private for a few minutes?"  
Race studied the woman for a few minutes before gesturing to Drake   
to release her. Together, the two entered the next room and Jade pulled   
a newspaper clipping out of the pouch attached to her belt and held it   
out to Race. "This was on the front page of the paper about two weeks   
ago," she whispered. The headline screamed WHAT HAPPENED TO WILDWING?   
And beneath the headline was a picture of Drake!  
"Two weeks," muttered Race. "That's about the time he appeared   
here." He turned to stare at Jade, his cold blue eyes meeting her   
concerned green ones. "You are to tell NO ONE that he's here. When   
he arrived, he had been in a battle of some kind and had amnesia. He   
still hasn't recovered all of his memories and we don't know who's after   
him."  
"I promise not to tell anyone about your guest," swore Jade, before   
smiling. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a client to contact." With   
that, she slipped out of the house and Benton appeared to take her place.  
"What did she want to talk about?" asked the bearded man. Race held   
out the article and Benton quickly scanned it. "According to this,   
Wildwing Bouvier, Team Captain of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks was captured   
by the Ducks' enemies, the Saurians. Later, the Ducks were able to   
discover that he had escaped his captors, but due to the extent of his   
injuries, he had amnesia." He looked at Race. "Why haven't we seen anything   
about this before? Something this big should have caught our attention   
before now."  
Race shrugged. "We haven't had much of a chance to either watch the   
news or read the paper since he arrived," replied the man. "We've been   
busy helping Drake adjust to our world as well as help him recover his   
memories. Plus, the kids have been enjoying their time outside now that   
school is out. "  
"Well, the article is asking anyone who has information about Mr.   
Bouvier to please contact the Mighty Ducks and let them know," muttered   
Benton, a thoughtful look on his face. He looked at Race. "What do you   
think?"  
With a sigh, Race ran his hand through his white hair. "We don't   
know if this is genuine or not," he confessed. "And personally, we don't   
need any more trouble. Here's what we can do. We can spend the next week   
finding out everything we can about these Mighty Ducks and then decide if   
we want to risk the safety of this family and Drake by informing someone   
else that he's here." Benton nodded and together they agreed to tackle   
the problem in the morning after a good night's sleep. With Drake's help,   
they managed to convince the teens to go back to bed before Drake turned   
to them.  
"What did Miss Jade tell you?" he inquired.  
"I believe we're one step closer to finding out who you really are,   
my friend," replied Benton. "But Race and I still have much work ahead of   
us before we can tell you anything. There are too many things we don't   
know and none of us want you to get hurt."  
Drake nodded and quietly went back to his room. As he stared at the   
moon-illuminated ceiling, questions swirled through his head and it was   
several minutes later before he finally dropped off into troubled sleep.  
  
The man crept out of the cave with his eyes searching everywhere. In   
his hand was a large orange crystal that seemed to pulsate with power and   
he didn't want to get caught by the Bangalore soldiers until after he had   
delivered this to someone he was sure would reward him very well. Quietly,   
he slipped over the edge of the mountain and began working his way back   
to Calcutta where he could contact Lord Dragaunus with no fear of anyone   
overhearing him.  
  
With a sigh, Benton pushed his chair back from the computer and   
rubbed his eyes. He had spent the last week searching for everything   
dealing with the names 'Mighty Ducks' and 'Wildwing Bouvier' only to find   
several files of game coverage but not much on the team itself. He looked   
up as Race entered the Lighthouse.   
"I've called in several favors from my connections and all I've been   
able to get that is worth anything is a police report filed by one Mark   
Klegghorn," announced the white haired man, holding out some faxed sheets.   
"Also that the Mighty Ducks won the Stanley cup last month."  
Benton read over the sheets and shook his head. "This was what he   
had to live with before coming here?" whispered the scientist as he read.  
"Reminds me of the Concentration Camps run by the Nazis during World   
War Two," confessed Race. He sighed. "Well, I'm going to get packed for the   
convention tomorrow. I don't think there's anything else I can do." With a   
wave, Race started for the house.   
When he was halfway back to the house, a flash of white caught his   
eye and Race stopped to stare at a cluster of trees. He smiled when he   
realized that the white flash had been the sunlight filtering through the   
wind blown leaves to reflect off of Drake's feathers. Turning Race   
continued into the house and left the duck to his peace.  
With a content sigh, Drake stretched out under the broad limbs of the   
tree and looked up at Jessie who was lounging in the branches, scribbling   
in her notebook.  
"Whenever I see you, you're always writing," announced Drake. "What   
are you putting in that notebook?"  
Jessie smiled. "I'm keeping track of everything you say or do," she   
confessed. "That way, I can try to find out who you really are."  
"Thank you, but Mr. Bannon and Dr. Quest are taking care of that," he   
replied, closing his eyes against the sun.  
Jessie flipped to a blank sheet of paper in her notebook and began   
sketching Drake as he laid there in the sunlight. As she sat there, Jessie   
noticed Benton emerged from the Lighthouse and wondered if she could talk   
Drake into another game in Questworld. Jonny and her had managed to get   
him into Questworld a couple of times, but Drake preferred to sit outside   
on sunny days and read during rainy days. On a couple of occasions, he had   
managed to talk Jonny into going one on one with him in hockey much to   
Jonny's dismay. Now, Drake practiced at least once a day with Jonny and the   
blond teen had shown signs of improvement under Drake's tutoring.  
Shrugging with indifference, she went back to her sketch as Drake   
quietly drifted off into a dream-free sleep.  
  
Siege entered the bridge of the Raptor and bowed to Dragaunus. "You   
wished to see me, my lord?" asked the burly Saurian.  
"One of my spies has located a mine full of crystals like this one,"   
the red Saurian stated, pulling an orange crystal out of his robe and   
holding it for Siege to examine. "He claims that the crystals vary in size   
from microscopic to taller than myself."  
"Where is this mine?" demanded Siege. "I'll strip it bare and bring   
every last beryllium crystal to you."  
Dragaunus growled and Siege began backing away. "That idiot of a   
human can't give me the coordinates," he spat before turning to Siege.   
"Take a squad of drones and the human and fine that mine. With that many   
beryllium power crystals, I would be unstoppable!" Siege bowed and left   
the room with Dragaunus's laughter trailing after him.  
  
Drake balanced easily on his ice skates and watched as Jonny and   
Jessie flew over the ice towards him, the puck a blur as it passed between   
them. He grinned as Jessie faked a shot and passed the puck to Jonny who   
fired it at the goal. There was a satisfying thump as the puck hit Drake's   
glove and Jonny's face fell.  
"That's the fifth straight time you've stopped the puck," he said,   
exasperated.  
The duck laughed and stood up. "You've been broadcasting your   
moves," he stated, pulling off his glove. "Let me show you what I mean."   
He motioned for Jonny to take his place in the goal and Drake took a stance   
on the blue line. "Now watch."  
Drake began skating towards the goal, moving exactly like Jonny had   
been, and when he fired, Jonny was easily able to block the puck.  
"Now watch that play again," instructed the duck, moving off a   
distance with the puck. Jonny's eyes were riveted to Drake as he skated   
towards the goal but Jonny didn't see the puck until it hit the back of   
the net.  
Jonny smiled, sheepishly. "I see the difference," he confessed.  
"How about a real game?" suggested Jessie. "I'm tired of shooting the   
puck."  
"May I suggest the Stanley Cup game between the Anaheim Mighty Ducks   
and the Manhattan Screamers?" inquired Hadji's voice.  
Jessie grinned. "Sounds perfect to me, Hadji," she called. "Drake   
can be on the Ducks' team while Jonny and I can be on the Screamers."  
"Sounds like a plan to me," remarked Jonny as Drake nodded. The   
three took up their positions as players began appearing on the ice.   
Drake's uniform shimmered and changed into a Mighty Duck's jersey with   
double zeros on the back.   
The puck was dropped and the five other Mighty Duck players morphed   
into ducks while the rink changed into a professional rink filled with   
screaming fans.  
Jonny glanced around. "What's going on?" he asked Jessie.  
"It appears that you are witnessing one of Drake's memories,"   
announced Hadji.  
Jessie pulled Jonny off the ice and into the empty team box for   
the Mighty Ducks. "If this is a memory, we'd better stay out of the way   
and watch," she advised. Jonny nodded and they watched Drake. They were   
unable to hear the announcer due to the screaming crowd, when Jonny looked   
up and nudged Jessie.  
"Look at the clock," he stated. "It says that there's less than a   
minute left in the last period."  
Smiling, he watched as all but one of the Screamers was checked into   
the boards and the lone player raced towards him. The crowd had the air   
filled with "Ducks! Ducks! Ducks!" and excitement pounded through his   
veins. The Streaker fired the puck at him and there was a very satisfying   
thump in his glove as the final buzzer sounded.  
A silence fell over the crowd as he stood up and casually tossed the   
puck onto the ice. A roar broke out from the crowd and he skated over to   
form a circle with the other Mighty Duck players. They raised their   
hockey sticks to form a point above them. "Ducks Rock!" they cried in one   
voice before everyone vanished and Drake looked around, puzzled.  
"Looks like I have more information to add to my list," muttered   
Jessie as she and Jonny skated over to Drake.  
"My friends, we have a problem," stated Hadji, his voice full of   
concern.  
"Jonny Quest, Jessie Bannon, and Drake Bouvier, logging off,"   
called the blond teen. There was swirl of green light and the three found   
themselves back in the Lighthouse.  
"What's wrong, Hadji?" asked Jonny, his blue eyes wary.  
"Pasha just called," reported Hadji. "My mother was attacked by some   
lizard like creatures. I have to return to Bangalore to rule until she   
recovers."  
Jonny sighed. "How?" he inquired. "You've just missed the last   
flight to India and none of us are legally allowed to fly the Dragonfly."  
"I can fly this Dragonfly," announced a soft voice. Startled, the   
teens whirled around to find Drake standing there. "You get me to this   
Dragonfly and I'll fly you to Bangalore."  
Jessie scooped up the phone. "I'll call Dad and let him know what's   
going on," she said. "You go and pack for a stay in Bangalore."   
Jonny, Hadji, and Drake headed back to the house and they separated   
to get packed. Jonny followed Drake up to his room and leaned against the   
door, watching as Drake reached under the bed. The duck pulled out a flat   
box and opened it to reveal his polished white armor and dark green   
bodysuit.  
"Is that really necessary?" inquired Jonny, nodding his head at the   
box.  
Drake pulled off his red shirt and replaced it with the green top.   
"Better safe than sorry," he replied, changing his civilian clothes for   
the rest of the bodysuit. He stomped his boots into place and buckled a   
golden belt around his waist.  
Jonny left Drake and moved down to his room where he tossed enough   
clothes to last two weeks itno a duffel bag. Scooping up the bag, he headed   
back down to the living room where Hadji was.  
"He's getting his things together," remarked Jonny as Hadji gazed at   
him with a question in his dark eyes. The blond teen reached out to grip   
his friend's shoulders. "Don't worry, Hadj. Drake won't let us down."  
Jessie walked over to join them with a backpack slung over her   
shoulder. "I left a message at Dad's hotel and informed the airport that   
we're going to Bangalore in the Dragonfly," she reported, shifting her   
backpack.  
"Is everyone ready?' demanded Drake, coming down the stairs. The   
three teens stared at him, surprised by the change that had come over him.   
It wasn't so much the fact that he was clad in armor but the aurora of   
authority and power that seemed to surround him. The mask was once more on   
his face, making him a force to be reckoned with and a powerful ally.  
"We are ready to leave," remarked Hadji, picking up his bag. Drake   
nodded and followed them out of the house.  
Getting to the Dragonfly unseen was relatively simple. All Drake   
had to do was scale a metal fence and slip into the hanger while the teens   
walked in the front door.  
Fifteen minutes after Drake had climbed aboard the Dragonfly, the   
teens finally stumbled aboard and Jonny sealed the door behind him.  
"Let's get this bird off the ground," he called, strapping himself   
into his seat. Drake activated the engines and steered the long plane out   
onto the runway. He pushed a slider switch forward and with a roar, the   
Dragonfly took off itno the sky.  
  
Benton looked up as a shadow fell over his table and smiled at the   
rumpled looking man standing there. "John Huggarman! I'm surprised to see   
you here," exclaimed Benton, motioning for the older scientist to have a   
seat.  
Dr. John Huggarman sighed as he sat down. "Benton, I need to ask a   
favor from you," he began, pulling out a picture. "Y'see a friend of mine   
vanished about a month ago and the police have been unable to find any   
trace of him. I was hoping since you travel extensively that you could   
keep an eye out for him." Huggarman laid the picture on the table and   
Benton's eyes widened in surprise. It showed Drake sitting next to a   
redhead with his arms around her waist and a picnic lunch close by.  
"Who are they?" inquired Benton still gazing at the picture.  
"The girl is Mallory McMallard," the gray haired scientist reported.   
"The man is the one who is missing. His name is WIldwing Bouvier, Team   
Captain of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. We're asking anyone with information   
about him to describe his ring." He dug around in his pocket and pulled   
out a piece of paper. "Here are the details. The ring is..."  
"...A gold band with an ice blue jewel and the name 'Drake Bouvier'   
engraved along the inside," muttered Benton, frowning at the picture. "He   
hasn't fully regained his memories so he's been at my home for the past   
three weeks," he explained, noticing Huggarman's startled expression.  
The rumpled scientist leaped to his feet. "The others will be   
ecstatic to hear this," he cried, grabbing Benton's arm. "C'mon. Tanya's   
waiting for me in the lobby."  
"Who is she?" the bearded scientist asked. "And what's she doing   
there?"  
Huggarman smiled as they made their way to the lobby. "Tanya   
Vanderquack, the technical skills behind the Mighty Ducks," he said.   
"And apparently a few of the scientists here are hockey fans since they   
pounced on her and asked for her autograph. Which of coarse started a   
chain reaction."  
Benton shook his head in amazement when Race suddenly appeared at   
his elbow. "Doc, we've got a problem," he reported, concern evident in   
his voice. "Neela was attacked so Drake flew the kids to Bangalore in the   
Dragonfly."  
"Who were the attackers?" inquired a new voice. Startled, the men   
looked up to find a blond bespeckled duck in a purple jumpsuit standing   
there. She had a strange device on one arm and the same boots that Drake   
wore.  
"According to the message, it was some lizard-like creatures,"   
replied Race, folding his arms across his chest. "And you are?"  
"Tanya Vanderquack," she announced, holding out her hand. Race   
shook it as she continued. "Those lizard-like creatures sound like the   
Saurians, but what could they want in Bangalore?" She blinked and looked   
at the two men. "Dr. Huggarman told me you know where Wildwing is."  
Race smiled slightly. "Right now, he's flying our children to   
Bangalore," he remarked.  
Instantly, Tanya flipped the circle up on her device. "Duke, come   
in," she called in the microphone. Seconds later, the face of a one-eyed   
duck appeared on the screen.  
"Duke here. What did ya find out, Sweetheart?" he asked in a Brooklyn   
like accent. "Did ya find WIldwing?"  
"No, but according to his hosts, he's going to someplace called   
Bangalore," she reported. "Where the Saurians have been spotted."  
"Shards!" swore Duke. "Meet ya at the front door." The connection   
was severed and Tanya started for the front door with the three humans   
following her.  
As they arrived, a white troop carrier puled up and the door opened   
to reveal Duke standing there. "And where do you think you're going?" he   
inquired, staring at Benton and Race.  
"Those are our kids with your friend," replied Race, stubbornly.   
"Try and stop us."  
Benton put a soothing hand on his friend's arm. "Besides, we know   
where Bangalore is," he offered. "You take us with you and we'll direct   
you to Bangalore." Duke stepped aside and allowed the humans to climb   
aboard. When Benton entered the vehicle, he stared at the interior. Never   
had he seen technology like this before!   
"Better strap yourselves in 'cause we're ready to burn rubber!"   
announced a youthful voice. Benton looked at the front of the vehicle to   
find a young duck with long blond hair and mischievous blue eyes sitting   
there and both Race and Benton strapped themselves into the nearest seats.  
"Sweetheart, is there anyway to contact Mallory and Grin?" asked   
Duke as the vehicle sped down the road.  
"The communits in the Aerowing are more powerful than our personal   
ones," replied Tanya, thoughtfully. "But the range is still limited. We'll   
have to wait until we cross the Mississippi River if we want a clear   
reception."  
The blond duck sighed. "Man I am really wishing this was just a   
very bad dream brought on by too many comic books before bedtime," he   
groaned.  
Duke smiled. "I think we all agree with you on that, Nosedive," he   
remarked, reaching over to flip a switch. "Lighten up, kid. We're almost   
to the Aerowing."  
"But for all we know, Wildwing could be waling right into Dragaunus's   
claws!" exclaimed Nosedive, throwing his hands up in the air.  
"I don't think so," began Race, shaking his head. "Drake had some   
nightmares about a large red terror."  
Nosedive grinned. "That sounds like old Lizard Lips," he said. "But   
who's this Drake guy?"  
"Drake Bouvier is the name your brother was using while he was at   
my home," Benton stated. "IT was engraved along the inside of his ring   
and he decided to use it since he couldn't remember his."  
The vehicle drew to a stop and a humming noise replaced the sound of   
the engine. The three Ducks stood up and left the vehicle with the men   
following them.  
"Amazing!" breathed Benton as his eyes roamed around the interior of   
the Aerowing. "I have never seen technology like this before.  
Race noticed Nosedive was strapped into the pilot's seat and the   
white haired man sat down next to Duke. "A little young to be flying,   
isn't he?" he inquired, nodding his head at Nosedive.  
"You kiddin'? He can probably pilot the Aerowing better than some of   
us on the team," replied Duke, with a shrug. "Besides, he's seventeen."  
There was a roar of the jet's engines and they were pressed back   
into their seats as the Aerowing climbed into the sky. "Make yourselves   
comfortable," advised Nosedive. "It's a three hour flight to Anaheim."  
  
If anyone had entered the Ready Room, they would have thought that   
the figure sitting before Drake One was a mannequin. Mallory stared at the   
huge screen with a vacant look on her face and the only signs of life was   
the rise and fall of her chestplate. Nearby, a sandwich that Grin had   
brought her earlier sat, untouched, on a clear section of Drake One.   
Nosedive, Duke, Tanya and Dr. Huggarman left that morning to go see some   
scientist in Boston about trying to locate Wildwing.  
Suddenly, the screen switched on to reveal Duke's face. "Duke to   
Drake One," he called over the channel. "Anyone there?"  
Mallory's hand lashed out and opened the channel as she sat up in   
the chair. "Mallory here," she replied. "Did ya find him?"  
"We've discovered that he's on his way to Bangalore," announced   
Duke, his one eye betraying his concern. "But there's been a report that   
the Saurians are there too."  
"What's your ETA?" demanded Mallory, her eyes as hard as emeralds.  
"One hour," came the reply.  
"Don't bother docking," she ordered. "We'll meet you in the parking   
lot." With that, she severed the connection and turned around to find Grin  
standing there. "You heard?" When he nodded, she opened the nearest   
weapon's closet and pulled out a puck bazooka. "We'd better grab some extra   
weapons for the others." Grin grabbed a bag and loaded extra ammo in it.  
"For Wildwing," he explained, handing her the bag, She nodded and   
clipped the bag to her belt before grabbing other weapons. Together the   
two Ducks headed up to the parking lot and several minutes later, the   
Aerowing lightly landed on the pavement.  
The door opened and Dr. Huggarman climbed out. "Dr. Huggarman, you   
can stay here until we come back," she announced, heading up the stairs   
with Grin right behind her.  
"Good luck!" called Dr. Huggarman as the stairs folded up behind   
her.  
She strapped herself into a nearby chair after passing out the   
weapons. "And just who are you and what do you think you're doing here?"   
she inquired, glancing at the two strange humans.  
"I'm Benton Quest and this is Race Bannon," announced the bearded   
man. "Our children are with your friend in Bangalore and there's no way   
you can stop us from coming with you."  
"IF there is a confrontation, you will stay out of our way and let   
us do our job," she ordered, cocking her puck bazooka. The tone of her   
voice left no room for argument and so both men nodded in agreement.  
Nosedive tossed her a cocky smile. "Don't worry, Mal," he advised.   
"We'll get to Bangalore ten minutes behind Wing."  
I just hope we're in time, thought Mallory as the Aerowing   
streaked out over the Pacific Ocean.  
  
With ease, Drake landed the Dragonfly at the Bangalore airport and   
followed the teens down the stairs where they were met by a group of   
guards.  
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Your Highness," greeted the lead  
guard, bowing to Hadji. The four guards formed an escort around them and   
lead them towards the Palace.  
"How is my mother?" asked the dark haired teen as they hurried   
across the ground.  
"She is recovering, Your Highness," replied the lead guard. "She said   
to inform you that those creatures were seen near the abandoned mine."  
Hadji frowned. "What would they want at the mine?" he muttered,   
puzzled.  
Suddenly, a bolt slammed into the ground nearby and sent dirt flying   
in all directions. Drake activated his shield and leaped in front of the   
humans. "Run!" he shouted, intercepting another bolt on his shield before   
firing on the red robots hiding behind some boulders. Several of the robots   
exploded and the rest ducked down behind their cover.  
A shrill scream ripped through the air and Drake whirled around to   
find Jessie, Jonny, and Hadji struggling in the grasps of three reptile   
creatures that stirred a mixture of fear and hatred in the duck.  
"Let them go!" Drake growled, starting for the figures  
The stocky brown creature laughed. "You want 'em, come and get 'em,"   
he challenged. The six figured were enveloped in a green light before   
vanishing in thin air.  
Drake turned and saw the robots vanish over some boulders. "I'm going   
after them," he announced before sprinting for the disappearing robots.   
He only hoped he wasn't too late.  
  
Jonny struggled against the green scaly hands that gripped his arms,   
hoping to escape. "Let me go!" snarled Jonny, slamming his foot down hard   
on the green creature's. The creature let out a startled yelp and released   
Jonny who shoved the creature into the wall.  
The blond teen turned and rammed the gaunt creature and Jessie   
managed to twist free from its grasp. Hadji slipped out of the brown   
creature's arms and shoved it into the other two creatures.  
"Let's get outta here!" cried Jessie, starting for the entrance.  
As Jonny and Hadji raced after her, a pair of muscular brown arms   
wrapped around the boys' waists and lifted them off the ground. "Gotcha!"  
Jessie whirled around to see her friends struggling against the   
brown creature's grip. She stepped towards them to try and free her   
friends when Jonny glared at her.  
"GO find Drake," he ordered. "Move, before you get snagged too!"  
"I'll be back," she promised, running towards the entrance. She   
sprinted for the mouth of the mine when she ran headfirst into an   
unyielding red and gray wall. Sitting down hard on the ground, Jessie   
looked up to find a red nightmare in gray battle armor towering over her.   
The nightmare grabbed the back of her shirt and dragged Jessie back to   
where the creatures were picking themselves up off the ground.  
"You miserable cretins!" he growled, tossing Jessie to the ground.   
"How do you plan on dealing with one duck when you can't even handle   
three human brats?"  
"They're tricky, Lord Dragaunus," groveled the gaunt creature,   
leaning on his staff.  
Dragaunus glared at the teens. "Take them farther in and tie them   
securely," he ordered. "Then prepare for a visitor. That blasted Duck can't   
be far behind."  
The green creature grabbed Jessie and together, the teens were   
dragged deep into the mine before they were tied with some strange glowing   
cords.  
"What do you want from us?" demanded Jessie, her green eyes blazing.  
"From you, nothin'," replied the green creature. "You're just bait   
for a much bigger game." Once they were tied, the creatures left them   
there with only the glowing crystals for company.  
Jessie sighed, dejected. "Sorry I wasn't faster," she apologized.   
"Don't worry about it, Jess," soothed Jonny. "You couldn't have   
known that a monster was working with those creatures."  
"From the way those creatures acted, I would almost say that Lord   
Dragaunus was in charge," stated Hadji, thoughtfully.  
Jonny struggled against his bonds for a few minutes. "I don't know   
what these things are but I can't get free," he muttered, disgustedly.   
"Looks like it's up to Drake now." The three teens fell silent as they   
waited for their friend to rescue them.  
  
Drake crouched behind the ridge and stared at the mine entrance. Two   
of the robots had taken up positions on either side of the entrance while   
the rest had vanished inside. Staring at the entrance of the mine sent   
waves of pure terror dancing down his spine and with an effort, he pushed   
the fear aside.  
This is foolish, he thought, shaking his head. I don't know where the   
kids are or how many of those robots are hidden in there.  
He frowned when he heard a sound so soft, at first he thought he had   
imagined it. When he heard it again, Drake spun around with his weapon up   
and tracking. To his surprise, a gray one-eyed duck was standing there   
with a look of surprise on his face.  
"Usually I can get much closer before I'm heard," remarked the duck,   
crouching down next to Drake.  
Drake's vision swam and he furiously shook his head. This was no time   
for a flashback, too many things were at stake.  
"You okay?" asked the duck, concerned.  
"I'm fine," Drake lied, returning his attention to the mine entrance.   
The gray duck shrugged and nodded towards the two robots.  
"So what's your plan?" he inquired casually.  
Drake sighed. "Those lizards have three friends of mine," he   
reported, not knowing why he was telling this duck anything. "The problem   
is, I don't know where they are in that mine or how many of those robots   
are in there."  
The duck glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "Looks like the odds   
have tipped to our favor," he said as four more ducks joined them.  
The redhead smiled at Drake and held out a bag. "Here," she offered.   
"Your pucklauncher must be low." Drake nodded his thanks and began to   
automatically reload his weapon.  
Suddenly, he stopped and glanced around confused. Why was he trusting   
these total strangers? A hand fell on his shoulder and he looked up at   
the gray duck.  
"Always remember, even when you can't remember who your friends are,   
your heart always knows them," the one-eyed duck murmured.   
Drake blinked and finished lading his pucklauncher. "One thing I   
know for sure," he growled, "three human teenagers are being held captive   
somewhere in there and it's up to me to rescue them." He scrambled over   
the boulders and raced for the mine. Firing twice, he destroyed the robots  
by the entrance and faltered slightly before rushing into the dark tunnel.  
There was a startled curse behind him, followed by footfalls, but   
after a few minutes, Drake had left them behind. The duck raced down   
several side tunnels for minutes until he slid to a stop inside a large   
cavern. Glancing around, Drake discovered he was on a ledge that ran   
around the top of the cavern and as he crept forward, he discovered   
several more of the robots mining the glowing crystals that covered the   
walls. The robots were stacking the mined crystals in a large pile off   
to one side and standing close by was the red terror from his dreams   
talking with the brown creature.  
"...They won't be giving us any more trouble, Lord Dragaunus,"   
announced the brown creature. "Those brats are securely tied up."  
"Excellent work, Siege," congratulated Dragaunus, his tail swishing   
through the shadows around their feet. "And those accused ducks?"  
"They were observed entering the mine minutes ago, my lord," stated   
the gaunt figure, emerging from a nearby tunnel. "But for a few minutes   
they were crouched behind some boulders talking." He sighed. "I'm afraid   
we must assume that the amnesia spell has decayed enough to make him a   
threat to us again."  
Dragaunus shrugged. "Then we'll just kill him instead of turning   
him against his fellow ducks," he remarked before dismissing them with a   
wave of his had. "Find the ducks and destroy them all." The two lizards   
vanished and Drake shook his head.  
I have to find the kids before Dragaunus kills them, he though making   
his way across the ledge. He peered into the shadows beneath the ledge and   
discovered another passageway. The only problem was, Dragaunus was   
standing only a few feet away wit his back to the passage.  
With a silent sigh, Drake anchored a grappling hook between some   
crystals and cautiously lowered himself over the edge. Smoothly, he   
slipped down the rope and gently stepped onto the rock-covered floor.   
He released the rope and sprinted down the corridor, thankful that the   
noise of the robots muffled any noise that he made. Once again, Drake   
started his search for the captive teens.  
  
Jessie sighed and leaned back against the crystal covered wall. I   
hope Drake comes soon, she thought as she glanced around at her friends.   
Jonny had struggled to get free of his ropes only to end up slicing his   
sweater several times when he had gotten to close to the various crystals.   
Meanwhile, Hadji had closed his eyes in meditation and hadn't moved for   
several minutes.  
Suddenly, a red haired duck was kneeling next to Jessie with a knife   
out. The duck put a finger to her beak and quickly sliced through the   
strange ropes.  
"My name's Mallory," whispered the duck, her voice loud enough to   
carry to all three teens. "I'm a friend of Wildwing's."  
Jonny frowned as he rubbed the circulation back into his wrists.   
"Who's Wildwing?" he asked.  
Mallory stood up after freeing Hadji and pulled out a gold locket.   
Flipping the face open, she showed them a picture of her and Drake with   
their arms around each other. "That's Wildwing," she announced.  
Jonny snapped his fingers. "You're Firefly!" he exclaimed. Mallory   
looked at him surprised as he continued. "Drake was having some nightmare   
when he woke up shouting for Firefly."  
"Let's talk about their love life after we get outta here," stated   
Jessie, nervously glancing around. Mallory motioned for them to follow her   
and the quartet crept down the passage.  
After several feet, Mallory raised her hand as she drew he weapon   
and they pressed themselves against the wall. Footsteps echoed down the   
corridor and Mallory tensed for a confrontation when Drake emerged from   
behind a clump of crystals.  
"Boy are we glad to see you," breathed Jonny, stepping away from the   
wall.  
Just then there was a beeping noise and Mallory flipped open the   
small device on her wrist "Mallory here," she announced.  
"It's Tanya," came the reply as a blond duck's face appeared on the   
small screen. "This mine is full of beryllium power crystals. One stray   
shot in this place and the whole mine will go."  
"Contact the others and let them know," instructed the redhead. "I've   
got Wildwing and the hostages. We'll meet you at the entrance." She closed   
her communit and motioned for the others to follow her. Drake hesitated for   
a few seconds before following Mallory down the tunnel with the teens   
close behind.  
After several twists and turns, four other ducks joined the five of   
them and Jessie noticed that these other ducks seemed concerned for Drake.  
More than once, she spotted a worried look tossed in Drake's direction.   
Just then, the group stumbled into a large cavern and discovered several   
robots pointing weapons aimed at them. Jessie glanced behind them only to   
discover more robots had appeared and surrounded them, effectively blocking   
their escape rout.  
  
Drake glared at the robots and wished for the umpteenth time for his   
memories to return. He placed himself between the strangely familiar robots   
and the teens as he tensed for the onslaught of battle.  
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" purred a cold voice. Drake   
looked over as the robots parted to allow Dragaunus through. "It looks like   
we have caught nine pests in one trap."  
"You'll never get away with this," growled Drake.  
Dragaunus tossed his head back and laughed. "Take them!" he ordered   
the robots. The red machines started forward when the ducks raced to   
confront them.  
Drake smashed two robots together before glancing over his shoulder   
at the startled humans. "Get outta here!" he ordered the teens. "MOVE!" The   
three raced out of the chamber and Drake found himself tackled from behind.   
He looked back t find a robot clinging to his legs and he instinctively   
fired, destroying the robot. The duck climbed to his feet as Dragaunus   
loomed over him.  
"You have spoiled my plans for the last time, Duck!" he spat,   
grabbing Drake's shoulders. With a growl, Dragaunus tossed the hapless   
duck into the wall and Drake crumbled to the ground, his head ringing.  
He looked up, fighting the pain in his head and struggled to breathe   
through the agony that had encased his chest. The cave had changed into a   
red cargo bay and sounds of blasters filled the air. He gazed around as   
Dragaunus towered over him.   
"Now it ends, Duck," announced Dragaunus, raising his wristmounted   
blaster for the killing shot.  
"NO!!!" screamed a harsh voice. Startled, the opponents looked up and   
he managed to focus his eyes on a feline surrounded by a lavender corona.   
"The Suarians won't destroy another DuCain as long as I live!" A bolt of   
lavender energy slammed into Dragaunus, flinging the Saurian away.  
Someone knelt by his side and he stared into a pair of shimmering   
green eyes infused wit power. "Time to go home, DuCain," murmured a gentle   
voice that blanketed the pain and a lavender light filled his eyes before   
darkness claimed him.  
  
Mallory gasped as she watched their Team Captain crumple to the   
ground, unmoving. She swung her puck bazooka into her hands and fired at   
Dragaunus, knocking him away from the unconscious duck.  
"Grin, grab Wing and head for the entrance," she ordered, her mind   
whirling. "Everyone else, move it NOW!" The Ducks exchanged startled   
glances before following Mallory's orders. Grin scooped up Wildwing and   
sprinted for the entrance with the other Ducks close behind. When Mallory   
was sure the others were clear, she fired at the largest crystal cluster   
and ran out of the cavern with explosions following in her wake.  
When she reached the surface, Mallory was tossed out of the mine by   
the final explosion that also collapsed the mouth of the cave. Dimly,   
Mallory heard voices calling out but she was in no shape to answer since   
she was just barely holding onto consciousness.  
"Mallory! Are you all right, Sweetheart?" asked Duke, helping her   
sit up.  
She opened her eyes and managed a weak grin. "I hurt too much to be   
dead," she confessed, resisting the urge to close her eyes again.  
A shadow fell over her and the two Ducks looked up to find the dark   
skinned teen standing there. "Thank you for your assistance in ridding my   
country of that menace," he announced with a bow. "I extend my hospitality   
to you for the duration of your recovery."  
"Thank you," replied Mallory, slowly rising to her feet. She swayed   
unsteadily until Duke grabbed her arms to keep her upright.  
"I think we'd better accept his invitation, Sweetheart," he   
muttered.  
Mallory glanced around and noticed the bruises and cuts on her   
teammates. "We accept," she told the boy.  
He grinned. "If you will follow me, I will escort you to my home,   
Miss Mallory," he instructed, starting down the mountain. The Ducks   
slowly followed the teen and Mallory leaned on Duke for support during   
the hike.  
"Where are your friends?" inquired Tanya, glancing around.   
"They went on ahead to instruct my servants to prepare your rooms,"   
stated the teen, his dark eyes flashing in the sun.  
Duke's gaze narrowed. "Just who are you?" he demanded, wary.  
"Forgive me for not introducing my self," he apologized. "I am Hadji   
Singh, Sultan of Bangalore." As soon as the worlds left his mouth, a   
company of soldiers scrambled over the rocks to meet them.  
"Are you all right, Your Highness?" asked the lead guard.  
"I am uninjured, Captain," announced Hadji. "Thanks to my friends   
here." He didn't even blink as the soldiers formed an escort around them   
as they continued down the mountain.  
Mallory stumbled over a few rocks in the path and Duke scooped her   
up in his arms. She tried to focus her eyes as someone far off called her   
name, but her eyes closed and she drifted off into unconsciousness.  
  
Duke felt Mallory's body fall limp and quickly picked up the pace.   
"Tanya!" he called. "Mal's unconscious!"   
Instantly, Tanya was at his side and quickly checked Mallory out. She   
did a quick scan with hr Omnitool before sighing in relief and glancing at   
the others. "She's exhausted," announced the blond. "She'll be fine after   
some decent sleep."  
The group continued down the mountain and when they reached the   
bottom, they were greeted by Benton, Race, Jessie, Jonny, and an elderly   
Indian woman.  
"Mother, you should be resting," Hadji remarked, embracing the woman   
before turning to the Ducks. "This is my mother, Neela. She rules Bangalore   
when I am not here."  
Neela gestured for them to enter the Palace. "I will show you to your   
rooms and send for a doctor to care for your wounded," she announced as   
they started down a richly decorated hall.  
"Thank you, Your Highness," replied Duke, nodding his head in   
respect. Neela pushed open the first set of doors they came to and   
motioned for Grin and Duke to place their burdens on the beds.  
"Your rooms are along this hall," Neela stated as Duke and Grin   
rejoined their teammates. She put Nosedive in the next room while Duke   
was across the hall. Tanya was next to Nosedive and Grin was placed   
beside Duke. "I will send for the physician to tend to your friends'   
injuries."  
"Your Highness, thank you, but we would feel better if Tanya could   
examine them," Nosedive said, gesturing to the blond duck. Neela nodded   
and Tanya entered the room with the other Ducks. She quickly examined   
the two Ducks before turning to the others.  
"Mallory's fine," she reported in a quiet voice. "Just asleep.   
Wildwing has a knot on his head where he struck the wall, but he should   
be fine. I just wish Jellica was here so we knew how decayed the amnesia   
spell is."   
Nosedive sighed. "Well we won't know until after he wakes up and   
starts talking to us," he muttered, shaking his head. "Until then,   
there's nothing we can really do."  
Tanya and Grin left the room but Duke glanced back as Nosedive   
stretched out on a nearby couch. "And what do you think you're doing?"   
inquired the older duck.  
"I'm gonna keep an eye on them," protested the teen with a yawn.   
Duke grabbed Nosedive's arm and dragged him across the hall to the room   
Neela had given the teen.   
"Let Mallory and Wildwing sleep," ordered Duke. "I know how close   
you and Wing are, but he needs to recover in his own time." Turning,   
Duke left him alone and Nosedive sat down on the edge of the bed.  
I'll just take a quick nap before checking on Wing and Mal, he   
thought as his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.   
  
Sighing, Tanya sat down beneath the tree outside her room, and   
for the first time since Wildwing had vanished, she was able to relax.   
A shadow fell over her and she looked up to find Dr. Benton Quest standing   
there.  
"Mind if I join you?" he inquired. When she shook her head, he   
eased himself down to sit next to her in the shade. For several minutes,   
neither said anything before Benton glanced over at her. "I'm glad we   
arrived in time to help your friend, Wildwing."  
"I'm just glad we found him," she replied, leaning her head back   
against the tree.  
"Even if he hasn't fully regained his memories?"   
"Yes. Even if he's still missing his memories." At Benton's amazed   
look, she smiled briefly. "You have to understand, Dr. Quest, that we have   
been living together for over a year on Earth and we've become as close as   
a family."  
Benton leaned forward and gazed at Tanya with a curious look on his   
face. "What was it like on your planet?" he inquired. "And why did you   
leave?"  
Tanya closed her eyes against the pain and took a deep breath.   
"Puckworld was a wonderful place to live," she began, slowly. "It was   
covered in snow and ice for three fourths of the year, and the average   
temperature was between negative forty to about fifty degrees   
Fahrenheit. The rest of the year was dry and as uncomfortable for us as   
your summer is to you."  
"Uncomfortable but bearable," stated Benton.  
"We didn't know any other way," she replied. "I'm not saying that   
it was perfect, but we were content. Then the nightmare began." Tanya   
turned her blue eyes towards Benton. "Our legends and myths came to   
life and conquered our planet. We weren't prepared to defend ourselves   
against Lord Dragaunus and his robots. He enslaved the unlucky one and   
the rest were either killed or escaped into the Resistance with what was   
left of the military. Wildwing and Nosedive are lucky to have each other   
since many families were separated and sent to either factory camps or   
mining camps. I lost Kenny in a hunter drone ambush." She looked down at   
her hands before blinking back the tears in her eyes. "Canard put us   
together to form a strike team and we were able to drive Dragaunus off of   
Puckworld and we've been here ever since, preventing him from conquering   
this planet and doing the same thing to Earth that he did to Puckworld."  
"Astonishing," murmured Benton. "And you have been carrying on this   
war for the past year? With no help whatsoever?"  
"Humans only see what they want to see," countered Tanya. "And we   
have had some help. Dr. Huggarman, Thrash, Mook, Buzz Blitzman, and various   
others have helped us defeat Dragaunus in one way or another."  
Benton stood up and held a hand out to her. "Well, let's go inside   
and talk about science instead of battles, hm?" he invited. Tanya allowed   
Benton to help her up and together they reentered the Palace.  
  
Slowly, awareness crept over him and he opened his eyes, blinking   
against the sunlight that filtered into the room. Pain lanced through his   
skull and he hissed in surprise as he touched the knot on the back of his   
head. Sitting up, he glanced around and smiled when his eyes fell on   
Mallory's sleeping form.  
She must have had a hard time with Phil, he thought, standing up. A   
slow grin crept across his face as he realized what had happened.   
"Looks like Dragaunus did me a favor when he threw me into that   
wall," he muttered. "But next time, he's the one peeling himself off the   
wall." He activated the quick-change sequence and once the light had faded,   
he was dressed in his usual jeans and shirt with the Mask on his face. He   
walked over to a wash stand and poured some water into the polished bowl.   
Removing the Mask, he washed the dust and sweat off his face before patting   
the feathers dry with a nearby towel. Placing the Mask in the pouch   
attached to his belt, he walked over to the large windows that lead to the   
garden and quietly slipped out into the sunlight.  
He strolled through the garden at his own leisure when he spotted   
Benton and Tanya heading back for the palace. Ducking behind a tree, he   
watched as they vanished into the palace before he made his way deeper   
into the garden. Finally, he came to a fountain merrily shooting water   
up into the air and he stared into the depths with questions running   
through his mind. Unfortunately, the water held no answers for him and   
he scooped up a few pebbles scattered around the fountain and tossed one   
into the blue depts.  
"There is something troubling you?" inquired a soft voice.  
Startled, he looked up to find an elderly Indian woman standing   
there with a strange blue falcon on her shoulder. She smiled at him and   
reached up to stroke the falcon.   
"Who are you?" he inquired, more curious than alarmed. Something   
about this woman seemed to ease all his fears.  
"I am Neela and this is Haresh," she stated with a small nod of her   
head.  
He bowed. "Please excuse me for not realizing that you were Hadji's   
mother," he begged. "And you're right. There is something troubling me." At   
her silent gaze he continued. "Three weeks ago, Mallory and I were out on   
a date when we were attacked by the Saurians. The same ones that attacked   
you and kidnapped Hadji and his friends. They took me to their ship and I   
managed to fight my way to freedom. Unfortunately, because of the battle,   
I somehow wound up with amnesia and for the past three week, I've been   
trying to regain my memories with the help of Dr. Quest and his family."  
"And now?" prompted Neela, sitting on a nearby bench. Her eyes never   
left him.  
He sighed. "During this last battle with Dragaunus, when he threw me   
against the cave wall, I managed to regain the last of my missing   
memories," he confessed. "But I don't know how to return to the team.   
They've spent the past three weeks without me and from what it looks like,   
they've done rather well without me to lead them."  
Neela gazed at him with a curious look on her face. "What is your   
name?" she asked suddenly.  
"Wildwing Bouvier," he replied, glancing down at his hand where the   
blue jewel in his ring seemed to glow in the sunlight.  
"It fits you," mused Neela with a small smile. "But getting back to   
your problem. How do you know that they don't need you? The young lady   
with red hair seemed absolutely exhausted and it probably wasn't easy for   
her to fill your position while the rest of the country was out looking for   
you." At his startled look, she nodded. "Hadji and Dr. Quest told me   
everything. Your friends broke into the Saurians' ship and discovered   
that during your battle for freedom, the one called the Wraith cast some   
kind of amnesia spell on you. They held a press conference and told the   
entire United States that you were missing and that you had amnesia. They   
were desperate to get you back. Miss Vanderquack even told Dr. Quest that   
they were happy to have found you, even if you hadn't fully regained your   
memories. To me it sounds like they care for you as members of a family   
care for each other."  
He sighed and shrugged. "I suppose so," he admitted. "But how do I   
tell them that I've broken the Wraith's spell?" he asked, frustrated.  
"How about open your beak and tell us?" suggested a new voice.   
Startled, he spun around to find Mallory standing there. She had a slight   
smile on her face and despite the dark circles under her eyes, she was one   
of the most beautiful people he had ever seen. "Besides, if you don't come   
back to the team, who's going to keep me from killing Phil one of these   
days?"  
Smiling, he shook his head. "I guess I'm just being foolish," he   
remarked.  
"I guess," agreed Mallory, slipping her hand into his. "Now, let's   
go tell the others before Duke wears a hole in the floors." He let her   
drag him back to the palace and his waiting friends.  
  
That evening, a happy group gathered around the dinner table and   
chatter filled the air. Wildwing and Nosedive were dredging up embarrassing   
memories about each other while everyone listened in amusement.  
"Excuse me, but you're the one that made a cake for Mom," protested   
Nosedive, his blue eyes sparkling. He turned to Mallory. "Wing started out   
with a recipe for a cake and he ended up holding crumbs together with three   
cans of icing instead."  
Wildwing leveled a finger at his younger brother. "Don't force me to   
bring up your birthday gift to Dad that one year," he threatened,   
good-naturedly. Fresh peals of laughter rose from the table as Nosedive   
ducked his head in mock defeat.  
Suddenly, Tanya's Omnitool beeped and everyone looked at her as she   
opened her communit to establish a link with Drake One. "Drake One's picked   
up some weird energy signature coming from outside of Anaheim," she   
reported.  
"Let's move!" barked Wildwing, already rising from the table. He   
turned to Neela and Hadji. "Please excuse us, but duty calls." Together,   
the six Ducks raced out of the Palace and the humans gathered around the   
window as the Aerowing too off into the night sky.  
Benton glanced down at his son. "You're awful quiet," he remarked,   
thoughtfully.  
"I guess I just got use to Drake, I mean Wildwing, being around,"   
confessed Jonny with a shrug. "Now he's back where he belongs and I wonder   
if we'll ever hear from him again."  
Race chuckled. "I imagine that all we have to do is read the sports   
section of the newspaper if we want to keep tabs on him and his friend," he   
stated, laying a reassuring hand on Jonny's shoulder. "Now let's finish   
dinner before it gets cold on us." Together, they returned to the table an   
their conversations turned to other matters. Jonny took one last look out   
the window at the star covered sky and silently wished Wildwing only the   
best of luck before joining in on the conversations.  
  
The End.  
  
"At The Beginning" by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis.  
  
If anyone has any questions about this story, please e-mail me.  
Don't worry if you want to know what happens to Lucretia DeCoy. She has a  
story involving her relationship with Tanya in progress. 


End file.
